A Feasibility Study for the Establishment of Xuan Lien Nature ...

Section 2 - Site Features
8
2.8 Flora Overview
The field survey recorded 560 species of vascular
plants in 381 genera and 124 families (Table 3).
These species include 222 timber species, 31
ornamental species and 116 species with known
medicinal uses (Appendix 1).
The flora of the proposed nature reserve is
characterised by taxa indigenous to northern Vietnam and southern China, such as members of the
Fagaceae and Lauraceae. In addition, there are two other major elements to the flora. The first is an
Indo-Malayan element which includes members of the Dipterocarpaceae and Combretaceae together
with a number of deciduous species such as Lagerstroemia tomentosa and Tetrameles nudiflora. The
second is a temperate Sino-Himalayan element, characteristic of Yunnan and the Himalayan foothills;
included in this element are several conifers and a number of broadleaf deciduous tree species.
Of the 124 plant families represented, 12 families contain 10 or more species. These are the Euphorbiaceae
(with 33 species), Lauraceae (25), Poaceae (22), Rubiaceae (20), Orchidaceae (20), Moraceae (18), Fagaceae
(14), Fabaceae (14), Caesalpiniaceae (11), Asteraceae (11), Meliaceae (11) and Arecaceae (10). However, the
most abundant species in the study area belong to the Dipterocarpaceae, Fagaceae, Lauraceae, Magnoliaceae,
Sapotaceae, Sapindaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Meliaceae, Hamamelidaceae, Cupressaceae and Poaceae. Stands
of bamboo, comprising species such as Neohouzeana dulloa and Dendrocalamus patellaris, are found in
areas where the forest has been very heavily disturbed. The tree flora of medium to high montane mixed
coniferous and broadleaf evergreen forest is dominated by Hopea mollissima (Dipterocarpaceae); although
conifers, including Fokienia hodginsii, are also present in smaller numbers. Conifers and broadleaf trees
together form significant stands of mixed forest, at elevations above 1,200 m.
The conservation importance of several
species is notable. Of the 560 species
recorded during the field survey, four are
endemic to Vietnam (Cinnamomum
balansae, Colona poilanei, Croton boniana
and Macaranga balansae) and six are
listed as threatened in the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Plants (IUCN 1997)
(Table 4).
2.9 Vegetation Types
The results from the field
survey show that forest covers
78.5% of the total area,
although a large proportion of
this is bamboo forest with
varying degrees of disturbance
(Table 5 and Map 2).
The classification of the main
forest types in the study area
Table 3: Floral Diversity of the Study Area
Taxon Families Genera Species
Lycopodiophyta 2 2 3
Polypodiophyta 13 22 31
Pinophyta 5 6 6
Magnoliopsida 88 284 430
Liliopsida 16 67 90
Total 124 381 560
Table 4: Globally Threatened Plants Recorded in the
Study Area
Species Current Status
as per IUCN 1997
Annamocarya sinensis R
Calamus tonkinensis R
Dalbergia tonkinensis V
Fokienia hodginsii R
Madhuca pasquieri R
Parashorea chinensis R
Notes: V = Vulnerable; R = Rare as per IUCN (1997).
Table 5: Existing Vegetation Types in the Study Area
Vegetation Type Area (ha) Percent
Primary Forest 1,762 7.5
Elfin Forest 481 2.0
Mixed Bamboo and Broadleaf Forest 2,245 9.5
Pure Bamboo Forest 8,691 36.8
Regenerating Forest 5,343 22.6
Scrub and Grassland 4,690 19.9
Agricultural Land 398 1.7
Total 23,610 100.0